MDWigs
05-06-02, 04:49 AM
I was asked by a member of this board to *briefly* describe what Eva is. It is a tough call for me to describe anything about Eva briefly but I did my best. After sending it to him(her?) I though it might be a good idea to post here as well. So enjoy.
Neon Genesis Evangelion began airing on the TV Tokyo Network in Japan on October 3, 1995 and ended on March 27, 1996. The ending of the anime series was very controversial and so in 1997 Gainax released two theatrical movies that would redo the ending of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The first movie released was Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, which made its theatrical debut on March 16, 1997. The second theatrical movie had its debut on June 19, 1997 and was entitled The End Of Evangelion.
It was created by GAINAX studios who are responsible for such classics as Nadia - Secret of the Blue Water, and the theatrical movie Wings Of Honneamise.
The credits are as follows:
Shin Seiki Evangelion - (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
(C)GAINAX, Project Eva., TV Tokyo, NAS
Created by GAINAX
Series Director : Anno Hideaki
Character Designs : Yoshiyuki Sadamotoi
Mechanical Designs : Yamashita Ikuto, Anno Hideaki
Music : Shiro Sagisu
Main Screenwriters : Hideaki Anno, Satsugawa Akio, Enokido Yooji
Main Storyboards : Masayuk, Higuchi Shinji, Tsurumaki Kazuya
Main Animation Directors: Suzuki Shunji, Honda Takeshi, Hasegawa Shinya
Art Director : Katoo Hiroshi
Anno Hideaki is the main man behind the story, and he tried to include everything of himself in his work. He has described himself, in his Introduction to Evangelion, as "a broken man who could do nothing for four years... one who was simply not dead." He said that Eva was "...a production where my only thought was to burn my feelings into film."
For Anno, whom at one point was sleeping at the GAINAX offices so he wouldn't kill himself, Eva was everything, and he describes it as such.
"Evangelion is my life and I have put everything I know into this work. This is my entire life. My life itself."
-Hideaki Anno (translation from 11/96 Newtype in Protoculture Addicts #43)
The story focuses around Shinji Ikari, the "Third Children" and pilot of Evangelion Unit One. Throughout the story Shinji is basically the creator Anno's avatar through which to express his feelings. Other main characters include Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Sohryu who are also Eva pilots, and Misato Katsuragi who is the operation chief in charge of the pilots.
Everything is steeped with symbolism and references in Eva, there are a lot of religious themes and motifs, but these are all just window dressing for the true story about a child (who represents a man) who didn't know how to open himself up and let people in. As mentioned the ending in particular was very unconventional, and was very controversial when it was released in Japan, because of this (and a lot of other reasons) two movies were released to attempt to retell the ending of the series.
Neon Genesis Evangelion began airing on the TV Tokyo Network in Japan on October 3, 1995 and ended on March 27, 1996. The ending of the anime series was very controversial and so in 1997 Gainax released two theatrical movies that would redo the ending of Neon Genesis Evangelion. The first movie released was Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, which made its theatrical debut on March 16, 1997. The second theatrical movie had its debut on June 19, 1997 and was entitled The End Of Evangelion.
It was created by GAINAX studios who are responsible for such classics as Nadia - Secret of the Blue Water, and the theatrical movie Wings Of Honneamise.
The credits are as follows:
Shin Seiki Evangelion - (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
(C)GAINAX, Project Eva., TV Tokyo, NAS
Created by GAINAX
Series Director : Anno Hideaki
Character Designs : Yoshiyuki Sadamotoi
Mechanical Designs : Yamashita Ikuto, Anno Hideaki
Music : Shiro Sagisu
Main Screenwriters : Hideaki Anno, Satsugawa Akio, Enokido Yooji
Main Storyboards : Masayuk, Higuchi Shinji, Tsurumaki Kazuya
Main Animation Directors: Suzuki Shunji, Honda Takeshi, Hasegawa Shinya
Art Director : Katoo Hiroshi
Anno Hideaki is the main man behind the story, and he tried to include everything of himself in his work. He has described himself, in his Introduction to Evangelion, as "a broken man who could do nothing for four years... one who was simply not dead." He said that Eva was "...a production where my only thought was to burn my feelings into film."
For Anno, whom at one point was sleeping at the GAINAX offices so he wouldn't kill himself, Eva was everything, and he describes it as such.
"Evangelion is my life and I have put everything I know into this work. This is my entire life. My life itself."
-Hideaki Anno (translation from 11/96 Newtype in Protoculture Addicts #43)
The story focuses around Shinji Ikari, the "Third Children" and pilot of Evangelion Unit One. Throughout the story Shinji is basically the creator Anno's avatar through which to express his feelings. Other main characters include Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Sohryu who are also Eva pilots, and Misato Katsuragi who is the operation chief in charge of the pilots.
Everything is steeped with symbolism and references in Eva, there are a lot of religious themes and motifs, but these are all just window dressing for the true story about a child (who represents a man) who didn't know how to open himself up and let people in. As mentioned the ending in particular was very unconventional, and was very controversial when it was released in Japan, because of this (and a lot of other reasons) two movies were released to attempt to retell the ending of the series.